hi!
i’m Joanna,
a mum of two boys
aged eight and eleven and I live in Hemingford Grey, which is a small village near Cambridge in Great Britain.
Having lived and worked abroad for many years (Hamburg, Zürich, New York), I am now a part-time primary school teacher. I love my job because it means spending time with children from the age of four all the way up to eleven. I particularly enjoy teaching French; we use a phonics-led approach, which is both very useful, very active, and a lot of fun.
learning a language, much like reading a book, is a way of going through a portal into another fascinating world
Learning German and French has shaped my life in wonderful ways. I am always telling the kids in my classes that – even if they never go on to be amazing linguists – learning a language, much like reading a book, is a way of going through a portal into another fascinating world. Also, not only does it keep your brain sharp, it also means having friends, many of whom we now consider family, all over the globe.
My boys and I do a lot of stuff together: baking, cooking, doodling, painting, modeling, them trying in vain to teach me how to play Minecraft. Knowing that I speak German and French, they are always begging me to teach them words and phrases. They find it hilarious that the word for a slug in German is ‘naked snail’. They are fascinated by the fact that ‘croissants’ were so named after the crescent shape on the Ottoman flag.
Helping my children learn languages isn’t just about speaking that language; along the way it has also become all about the geography, the history, the art, the music, the literature, and most of all, the people with their idiosyncrasies, their traditions, their beautiful and varied ways of life.
This is why, for me and my family, learning to be lingual is a top priority.
I’m here to help you to speak English in your daily family life. So, if you are ready to join our journey, l’m happy to support you!